WASHINGTON - Leaders of the U.S. House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee have promised to fight sequestration in order to support the Pentagon's FY16 budget request, though House appropriators thus far appear less optimistic. During a February 26 budget hearing, strategic forces subcommittee Ranking Member Jim Cooper (D-TN) said the automatic budget cuts imposed by Congress pose a tremendous risk to U.S. nuclear defenses. Failure to address sequestration will result in a "big train wreck," Cooper added. Subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) concurred, saying that adhering to sequestration caps "is not a responsible thing to do." He promised to do everything in his power to prevent such a scenario.
On the same day, House Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) told Navy officials that his committee would mark up the FY16 bill to adhere to sequestration caps, "barring some dramatic change in course." He asked the Navy to provide his committee with a comprehensive list of what the service would cut under sequestration. The Navy budget is approximately $13 billion above sequestration, and Frelinghuysen told service officials his committee "will cut the $13 billion with you or we will cut it without you." Service officials said that adhering to sequestration would require a complete revision of the country's defense strategy.
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